Bob Edwards leaving OCH for new CEO role
OGALLALA, Neb. (Aug. 10, 2011) - Bob Edwards, chief executive officer at Ogallala Community Hospital, will be leaving that post to assume a new CEO role at Banner Lassen Medical Center in Susanville, Calif., on Sept. 12. Julie Klein, associate administrator for Banner’s North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley, Colo., will serve as interim CEO at OCH while a search for a permanent CEO is conducted.
“It has been my distinct privilege and pleasure to have served as CEO at this wonderful facility,” Edwards said, “and to have had the opportunity to work alongside a team truly committed to exceptional clinical quality and the patient experience. As a team, we have accomplished a lot in nearly four years. We have been able to improve and add services to our hospital and clinic, retain and add physicians to our tremendous medical team, bring leading-edge technology such as eICU and EMR to patients in our rural community, and stay focused on providing our patients with the best experience possible.”
Edwards added that he and his family are happy to have met so many wonderful individuals in Ogallala and they will cherish their time here and the memories that came with it.
In announcing Edwards’ appointment as the new CEO for Banner Lassen Medical Center, Banner Health Western Region President Jim Ferando cited Edwards’ solid leadership and ability to expand services and healthcare partnerships as key to the new role. “Bob will be an excellent addition in Susanville,” Ferando said. “I know he will provide the same direction and partnership-building at Banner Lassen that he has provided to Ogallala Community Hospital since early 2008.”
Klein currently serves as associate administrator for clinical ancillary services at NCMC, and has years of clinical leadership experience. Prior to serving as associate administrator, Klein served as service line director of neurosciences and orthopedics, and as operational director of physical medicine, the sleep lab, and neurodiagnostics at NCMC from 2005 to 2010, and as director of emergency services, neurodiagnostics, and pediatrics from 1999 to 2005. Klein also served in nursing leadership and staff roles at Lutheran Medical Center, in Wheatridge, Colo., and Swedish Medical Center, in Englewood, Colo.
She received her Bachelor in Science of Nursing from Kaplan University and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Business Administration from Kaplan with an anticipated completion date of July 2012. She has been active in a number of health care and community organizations over the years.
A native of Colorado, Klein and her family live on 80 acres near the small town of Galeton, Colo., northeast of Greeley. She and her husband have three sons as well as three dogs and several cats. Klein’s interests include camping, fishing, traveling with her family, and doing crosswords.
About Banner Health
Phoenix-based Banner Health is one of the largest, nonprofit health care systems in the country. The system owns or manages 23 acute-care hospitals, long-term care centers, outpatient surgery centers and an array of other services including family clinics, home care and hospice services, and a nursing registry. Banner Health facilities are located in seven states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming. To learn more about Banner Health, go to http://www.bannerhealth.com.
